Getting gopher snakes to control ground squirrels

[Celeste Cannon]

Me and my mom have a big ground squirrel problem here, and we also love snakes. We were thinking of putting the two together and introducing some gopher snakes to our chicken run. Would this be an issue for our flock? We only have one Bantam hen, but I have two roosters and a bunch of very strong hens that would be willing to help her if she got in trouble. I know the snake might eat the eggs, but that doesn’t bother me if they’re killing ground squirrels. I also have Quails, but they are in a very well constructed coop with thin fencing (I’ll attach pic). I do sometimes take them out to roam the garden, but I do this with supervision. What do you guys think? Is it too dangerous? I also attached a pic of one of the babies I caught last month! So cute

 

[orloffer]

I love snakes, and have a pet ball python, but I would not recommend putting any snake in the chicken/quail area on purpose--they will eat eggs and also chicks, if you have any. Probably quail too if they could get to them. And plus, I have heard of chickens killing smaller snakes. Would the snake(s) be in the run during the day?

Good luck with managing your ground squirrel problem! I have a small rodent problem over here myself--I spied two mice running around all over my chicken run last night.

 

[Celeste Cannon]

I definitely wont have any more chicks haha, we have reached the limit for chickens. I'm not sure when the snakes would come out, but I worried about the chickens killing them too, I was gonna do a test sometime with a fake one to see if they'd attack it. You sure I shouldn't try this? I really feel like it could go well

 

[MarkJr]

Look up squirrelinator live trap. Traps multiples, no chance in harming chickens, and works amazingly. I had them stealing eggs left and right. I no longer have a ground squirrel issue. I’m rotating my trap further and further from chicken yard too.

 

[orloffer]

I think the test with a fake snake would be a good idea. Maybe wiggle it around or something so that it looks alive, and see how they react.

 

[JadeFarms]

They’re chickens and they will try to kill the snake maybe not now, but they will later. Don’t put the snakes in danger (btw he’s beautiful). Use a live squirrel trap.

 

[Celeste Cannon]

Look up squirrelinator live trap. Traps multiples, no chance in harming chickens, and works amazingly. I had them stealing eggs left and right. I no longer have a ground squirrel issue. I’m rotating my trap further and further from chicken yard too.

We have some, but the gardeners tend to open them because they feel bad for the squirrels. Sweet of them, but they're giving my birds fleas lol. I also don't know what to do with the squirrels after, i'm not quite the killer. When we used them we would "relocate the squirrels" but thats kind of hard to do because we live in LA and could get busted easily.

 

[JadeFarms]

Maybe a rat trap? Or rat poison? You don’t seem against killing them so that would work.

 

[Celeste Cannon]

Maybe a rat trap? Or rat poison? You don’t seem against killing them so that would work.

Definitely never ever using poison, besides it being cruel and unnatural, we have so many owls, coyotes, skunks and other beautiful animals that could end up ingesting the poison and getting ill/dying. The targeted pest that eats the poison can live up to 2 weeks after being poisoned, leaving many predators at risk if they catch that pest. I'll just continue to use the live traps and releasing them far away. Thanks though!

 

[Al Gerhart]

The ground squirrels are kind of like most men; they are after just one thing. In the squirrel's case it is the feed. Get your bulk feed in metal barrels and buy a good treadle feeder for feeding the birds assuming you have some full size hens to operate the treadle. If all you have are bantams it is harder to have enough difference between the weight and reach of a bantam and a squirrel.

Be sure and pay close attention to the negative comments, those will be the people that actually had a rodent or squirrel problem, the others were folks just buying a feeder.

Control the feed so you stop feeding the ground squirrels and they will be forced to earn an honest living foraging for natural food which exposes them to predators and the territory will support very few ground squirrels. Even then, each squirrel will have to defend its territory so the end result is fewer ground squirrels.